


Curmudgeon

by kissingandcrying



Series: Kitty!Castiel [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Barebacking, Bottom Castiel, Boyfriends, Dry Humping, Heavy Petting, M/M, Masturbation, Mpreg, Pregnant Sex, kitty!castiel, moody!castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-04-22
Packaged: 2018-01-20 08:23:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1503557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissingandcrying/pseuds/kissingandcrying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When it read positive, Castiel almost threw the pregnancy test in the toilet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curmudgeon

**Author's Note:**

> Preggorz Cas = My fave.

When it read positive, Castiel almost threw the pregnancy test in the toilet.

Under the circumstances anyone else would’ve thrown it away. Instead he sat on his toilet seat and stared at the two blue lines reading a definite positive.

“God damn it,” He hissed angrily. “Something always happens.”

It’s not like Castiel was in any position to have a baby. He’d had boyfriends on and off for the past two years and the only one who’d been more solid than four months was the most recent, Dean. Four months wasn’t baby making material for a relationship. In fact, it was more likely that Castiel was coming up on the butt end of the relationship and it was about time for him to move on again.

Castiel considered the pregnancy test for an hour, after which he got up and tossed it in the trash. He had plans to get another one but he knew, for all the morning sickness and nausea he’d been experiencing, that it was true.

Dean was still sleeping. His face was mashed into a pillow and his arms were hidden underneath it. His backside was exposed and the sheets were tangled around his calves. Castiel stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched him as he tried to decide what to do.

“Dean,” He called eventually.

Dean shifted and sighed, turning his head and humming, “Mmmm,” before dozing back off.

“Dean,” Castiel repeated cautiously. “Wake up. I need to tell you something.”

Again Dean rolled over, exposing himself. “What’s up,” He croaked. He plopped his arm over his forehead and cleared his throat. More clearly he repeated, “what’s up, Cas?”

“I’d come over there but I’m not sure how you’re going to take this, so…” Castiel said quietly.

“Alright,” Dean said more clearly. He sat up and shot Castiel a displeased look. “What’s going on?”

Castiel nodded his head slowly as he thought about what he was going to say. From behind him, his tail flickered nervously. It thudded against the bathroom door and Dean’s eyes watched it.

“I’m pregnant, Dean.”

Dean scoffed and said, “Yeah, alright. Cool,” and flopped back down on the mattress. Castiel stayed stiff in the doorway until Dean shot back up off the bed and said, “What’d you just say?”

“You knocked me up.”

“Fucking christ!” Dean yelped. “What does that mean?”

“What, do you need me to explain it to you,” Castiel sneered. “It means that you fucked me one too many times and now I’m gonna spend the next nine months contemplating whether or not I should chop your balls off myself-”

“Now wait a minute,” Dean cut in harshly. “You told me you were on birth control. This was not my fault.”

“I was,” Castiel hissed. “and do you remember that week that I swore up and down they were the sugar pills and I shouldn’t have been having sex, do you remember that?”

“Yeah, well I thought they still worked!”

“On humans, yes. On Felids, no! That week is a big no-no, but you had to catch me when I was going through it and you had to say, ‘oh, yeah, cas, it’ll be fine, I’ll take care of you, nothing’s gonna happen,’ and what now? I’m stuck with the consequences of a mistake we both made!”

Dean sputtered and kicked the sheets off of himself before climbing quickly out of the bed.

“Hey, hey, don’t do that,” He said as he walked up to Castiel.

It took him pointing it out for Castiel to notice that his tail had puffed up twice it’s size behind him. “I’m sorry,” Castiel apologized heatedly. “You shouldn’t approach me like that.”

“Approach you like what? I wanna talk face to face?”

By the time Castiel had a chance to press himself against the doorframe, Dean was in his face and breathing his air. Castiel looked up at him defiantly. “Listen, I just thought you should know. Neither one of us signed on for the long haul, I know that.”

“I thought the long haul was implied,” Dean admitted. He looked down at Castiel’s lips and back up at his eyes. “So what’re you thinking?”

Castiel hadn’t thought about his pregnancy past the test he’d trashed. Dean wasn’t a Felid and that was one problem. Instead he was just a person, just a human. He didn’t have to concern himself with the side effects of carrying a hybrid for a kid. Castiel shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”

“If you keep it,” Dean said tightly, “I will too.”

Castiel shook his head in acknowledgement and responded, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Dean smiled and leaned forward. He lovingly headbutted Castiel’s chin before stepping around him and walking into the bathroom. “So you can’t get anymore pregnant, right?” He asked as he shamelessly used the restroom behind Castiel. “Wanna take a shower with me?”

“We’d better not,” Castiel said. “Knowing my luck we’ll end up with twins.”

\- - -

The thing about being pregnant was the time sensitivity of everything. If you didn’t do one thing you ran the risk of damaging your child. If you didn’t do another thing you ran the risk of damaging yourself. Castiel learned this two weeks after taking the test.

Dean hadn’t outwardly discussed it with him again, but he’d left a business card on the island in the kitchen with the name “Dr. Masters” in bold print typed in the middle and underneath in italicized print was the word obstetrician.

Castiel pocketed the card and went to cleaning the apartment.

Dean managed to keep the place relatively clean. Castiel had his own apartment across town that he never used but ignorantly still paid the rent for. He’d all but dragged his things from his apartment to this one. He thought it wasn’t anything to get down on his hands and knees and scrub a little bit.

His body objected. From his head to his toes began to ache, his back especially, and his hands began to tingle. Aches and pains were a part of growing up, but Castiel, loathe as he was to admit it, grew concerned.

“Uhm,” he said to himself. He dropped the rag and sneezed. A few more body shocks later and he’d moved downstairs to grab the phone. He dialed Dean’s number and waited.

 _“Cas,”_ Dean said. _“Everything alright?”_

Castiel sneezed so hard his nose began to bleed. “De-choo. Dean. I th-choo. God! I -choo-"

“ _Hold on,_ ” Dean fuzzed out on the other line but Castiel could hear him yelling something angrily at his co-workers. He waited and waited with his swollen hand under his bleeding nose. Eventually, the blood was running between his fingers and dripping to the floor. He dropped the cellphone on the counter and ran to the bathroom.

Not ten minutes later was Dean kicking in the kitchen door and screaming, “CASTIEL!”

Castiel was pressed up in the corner of the bathroom with two bundles of tissue paper shoved up either nostril, his hand on his head and his eyes closed. “De-choo,” He sneezed.

“Alright, what’re you allergic to,” Dean asked as he made his way over to Castiel. He scooped him up easily and carried him out of the bathroom and then out of the apartment. Castiel dangled in his arms, still sneezing. The tissue had soaked through.

“Something bleachy,” Castiel croaked. “Am I gonna be okay?”

“Of course,” Dean said easily. “I’m getting you to a doctor right now. Can you breathe?”

“Yeap,” Castiel mumbled. “Is the baby okay?”

“Yeah, the baby’s okay,” Dean answered. He carefully put Castiel down on the passengers side and let him climb in as he ran to the driver’s side. “but let’s go make sure.”

Castiel fell asleep on the drive to the hospital. Dean woke him up to a foggy window and said, “they’re gonna help you in, alright? Come on.”

Of course, the doctor didn’t tell Castiel anything he didn’t already know. Being pregnant changed a lot about your body including tolerance for certain chemical compositions. Dean had been perched in the corner of the room like a hawk, hanging on every word.

“So you’re about eight weeks along,”

“Eight weeks,” Dean echoed quietly. Castiel glanced at him before turning back to the doctor.

“How long do I have to decide if I should…” Castiel trailed off.

“Are you considering abortion,” The doctor asked.

Castiel was embarrassed to admit it. He scratched behind his ear and looked away, but his tail began to thump on the plastic of the bed behind him. The noise of the thudding quickly became an aggravating source of background noise.

“If you’re considering it,” The doctor continued, “It’s preferable that you decide as soon as possible. I have some pamphlets with information and if you need reliable options, I’d be happy to provide them all for you. No matter what, your health is most important.”

Dean was quiet. When Castiel turned to him for input he was biting his nail nervously.

“Yeah, uh…” He said around his thumb. “I - I… I… uh….”

“We’re not,” Castiel said pointing between himself and Dean, “We’re not really stable. This is our fault but I can’t be responsible for…” He swallowed slowly. “We’re together but we made a mistake and that makes me think that I’m not responsible enough to even be a candidate for this kind of thing.”

The doctor looked between Castiel and Dean and said, “If that's the case, I believe there are other options that you would benefit from discussing.”

Not long after, Castiel was sent home with an armful of packets, a painful butt cheek and a half-broken heart.

\- - -

Eight weeks wasn’t a long time, but it slowly melted into twelve weeks. Packet by packet, Castiel managed to throw every one about abortion in the trash. Every one about preparation for birth ended up on the nightstand by Dean’s side of the bed.

There was a day that Dean called off of work because six in the morning on a Monday seemed too early. He laid half in and half out of the sheets. The bedroom windows were open and the room was body temperature. Castiel was laying beside him observing the print on the ceiling.

The sun hadn’t risen but the air smelled so good. Castiel had quietly slipped away to the bathroom so that he could deal with his nausea, and then he brushed his teeth and tiptoed back into the bedroom. He climbed onto the mattress and curled right up against Dean’s body.

“I don’t feel well,” Castiel grumbled.

“I’m sorry, Cas,” Dean sympathized.

“I keep getting sick,” Castiel clarified, “but I also feel a little angry.”

Dean shifted his body and tugged the sheets out from underneath Castiel, quickly dropping them back over his body and pulling the two of them close together. As soon as they were face to face he said, “Why?”

Castiel shrugged. His tail shifted the sheets as it wrapped around his midsection and tried to squash itself between their bodies. Dean laughed.

“I’m not sure. I must be having mood swings.”

Dean adopted the intimate gesture of headbutting from a television show he’d watched on Felids. Communication was important and he understood how good it felt for Castiel to feel the soft nudges against his chin. It released some sort of hormone that made him feel better about being close to someone. As if on impulse, Dean began to rub his head against Castiel’s shoulder, butting into his chin a few times. Castiel sighed.

“Feeling better yet?” Dean laughed.

“A little,” Castiel admitted. “Are we ever going to talk about this child?”

Dean paused. “Do we need to talk about it?”

“I heard you in the bathroom yesterday,” Castiel said quietly. “You told Sam about me.”

Sam and Castiel had been friends long before Dean was in the picture. Castiel met Dean through Sam. The two of them had suffered through three years of law school together. They’d essentially become best friends and prior to Dean waltzing through the doors of the diner on that fateful day, they’d been inseparable.

Sam tried not to involve himself in Dean’s and Castiel’s antics, so when Dean went to him for any kind of advice it was always over a serious matter.

“I thought he should know. Did I…. read that wrong? You threw the pamphlets away.”

Castiel thought about it. Of course Dean would read that as he wanted the baby. The truth was that Castiel wasn’t opposed to it, but he couldn’t bring himself to consider that six months constituted a solid foundation for a family. He couldn’t be saddled with a child by himself if Dean decided to leave.

“You okay?” Dean said suddenly.

“Yeah, why?”

“Dude, you’re stabbing me with your tail.”

Castiel lifted the sheets and looked down at his misbehaving tail. It had gone stiff enough to poke Dean’s hip angrily. He growled and moved it out of the way. “I’m sorry.”

“Cas, if you wanna say something, say it.”

“Dean, we have to think about this practically. Neither one of us planned on having a kid and neither one of us even signed on for anything more than a year. I’ve known you for half of the time that I’ve been pregnant! I’m three months already. I feel sick all of the time, I’m not prepared to take care of myself let alone a baby, and I don’t want you to feel obligated to give up your life for a…”

“Hey!” Dean cut in sharply. “I get what you’re saying but at our age, cas, long term is implied. This is good motivation. I really like you!”

“Like me?” Castiel hissed. “That’s fucking great, but “like” isn’t glue, Dean!”

“Yeah, but it’s not a death sentence either!”

Castiel fumed and breathed heavily out of his nose. He looked at Dean defiantly before pushing roughly off of his chest and rolling out of the bed. “Because of four months,” he yelled, “You’re stuck with me for the next eighteen years. Think about that! How long does “like” last? I had a goldfish that I liked, Dean. And how do you think I feel about this? Everyday that I wake up spitting out my dinner from last night I have to think of how little time I get before I have to make a decision! No matter what, I’m in deep shit!”

“Oh, fuck off Cas,” Dean spat. “You’re not in deep shit yet, it’s just in the fucking yard. If you wanna jump in it go right the fuck ahead but I’m promising you a good thing here!”

“A good thing that I’m just supposed to believe,” Castiel said indignantly. “Based on what? twelve weeks? five, six months? Nine months?”

Dean clapped his hands. “That’s what we fucking got. You want me to call the doctor? Maybe he can carry us into the goddamn future. Either way, the consequences are the fucking same, either you have the baby or you don’t, either we stay together or we don’t, at this point one of both of those has gotta happen. Work with me and we can get the best of both worlds.”

Castiel scoffed and it quickly turned into a gag. He shook his head and waved Dean off before running for the bathroom to throw up food he didn’t have left in his stomach. The dry heaving went on for what felt like forever and eventually a shadow fell over the toilet seat and Dean was behind him, running his fingers through his hair from the nape of his neck.

Castiel coughed and hacked. His hands twitched on the toilet bowl as nothing came out.

“I’m sorry,” Dean said. He crouched down to get in closer and continued to run his hands through Castiel’s hair. “Just don’t hurt yourself because you think I’m gonna leave. Make the decision you think is best.”

“I don’t feel good,” Castiel sobbed. “This sucks!”

“I know and I’m sorry,” Dean said.

Castiel cried into the toilet until he got the hiccups so bad that he couldn’t anymore. Hugging the toilet wasn’t his favorite thing, but with Dean close by rubbing his back, his tail, and his hair, it wasn’t so bad. It would’ve been worse alone.

Castiel fell asleep against the porcelain and woke up swaddled in blankets on the bed. His face was exposed but the rest of him was in a burrito. He groaned around his headache and the sun flitted into the room through the semi-dark blinds. Dean was absent.

Castiel’s body was toasty and he felt alright. He wasn’t sick but his head was throbbing. He remained in his spot until he heard the bedroom door creaking open. There were light footsteps crossing the room and Castiel had more then enough time to act like he was asleep.

“Hey, Cas,”

Castiel flinched. Sam.

“Sam?” He grumbled.

Sam walked around the bed and appeared in front of him with a smile on his face. “You look… tired.”

“You can’t possibly imagine.”

Sam laughed and carefully climbed up onto the mattress, laying down beside Castiel. “I’m guessing you know why I’m here.”

“I have an idea.”

“Well first let me say that I’m sorry you feel like shit.”

Castiel sniffed and said, “Of course. It’s not your fault. Sam, but this is horrible.”

“I’ve heard the first few months can be bad,”  Sam responded. “I mean, I’ve read books for a few cases. You should be alright in a month or two.”

Castiel groaned and rolled over so that he was face down on the pillows. Now none of his body was exposed but he was having difficulty breathing. It might be better to suffocate now and leave all the decision making to the universe.

“Bffufuhm,” He hummed into the feather filled cushion.

“Come on, dude,” Sam said. Castiel could feel him patting his back through the thick comforter that Dean had unearthed and wrapped him in. “It’s warm outside. You wanna get out of that blanket and come to the school with me?”

Those years of law school were gone. Castiel had never appreciated the education like Sam had. His extensive knowledge of languages might have helped him drag through, but the payout was a life of lying and trying to sleep with it at night. Castiel turned his head with a lot of effort and said, “No offense, Sam, but I wouldn't be much company. I'm feeling a little bit miserable at the moment.”

Sam sighed and seemingly gave up. It wasn’t until minutes later that he said, “Dean really likes you, Cas. I don’t wanna… get too involved, but I don’t want to see either of you broken. It’ll be my fault for bringing you together in the first place.”

“It can’t possibly be your fault,” Castiel argued. “So don’t even consider that.”

Sam nodded and said, “I’ll try not to.” 

As much as Castiel enjoyed Sam’s company he wanted to be by himself. He gestured as much by burying his face back into the pillow until he felt the bed jog and there were the same sounds of Sam scuffling back towards the door.

\- - -

Castiel didn’t have a solid decision until sixteen weeks.

His stomach had rounded out a little more and his belts were stretched to the middle buckle hole. His fingers couldn’t squeeze through the holes of his rings and he managed to order pizza every morning for breakfast. He watched the discovery channel until his eyes were so red from crying about the monkeys that he couldn’t see, and he absolutely stayed away from household cleaners.

Moreover, he scheduled a doctor's appointment with Dr. Masters.

“Really?” Dean asked when Castiel told him.

“Really. Would you like to come?”

Dean tired not to respond too suddenly. He held back his smile when he said, “Hell yeah.”

“It’s a little overdue. I was scolded when I scheduled the appointment.”

Dean nodded. “Understandable. I hear we’re on a tight schedule.”

Castiel agreed and didn’t elaborate. He went into the living room and turned on the discovery channel.

The darndest thing was that Castiel felt good about scheduling the appointment. He’d been getting the hiccups and the “popcorns”, or what he uncomfortably considered the “baby” burping. They were small jolts and butterflies that reminded Castiel there was a little kid inside of him. He tried not to mull over it too much.

That was when he decided.

Whether Dean stayed or not wasn’t the deal breaker. From the day that Castiel had read the stupid pregnancy test, he’d known that he could throw it and break it in half. The fact remained that Dean had knocked him up. The baby was already his responsibility and he thought that if he could come to terms with that, he could handle whatever other loops he was tossed through.

He had faith, though, as Dean delivered a slice of cold Pizza to him on the couch, that Dean wouldn’t leave.

The day of the appointment Castiel woke up early. He tiptoed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. His biological clock had reset itself and he begrudgingly welcomed his new waking time as five in the morning. To make up for the lack of activities at that time in the morning, Castiel stood under the hot shower and washed himself as well as he could. It was part of his nature to be clean.

His tail was the funnest part of his body to wash. He handled it lovingly because it was so sensitive. His fingers ran along it’s length slowly as he worked soap into its fur and then he rinsed it off and repeated the ritual. The third time cradling the tail in his hands, he closed his eyes and massaged it. The soap dripped from its end and joined the running water in the base of the tub.

It felt good to be touched on his tail. If Castiel told himself he’d moved from cleaning to playing with his tail, he generally found it was more arousing than touching himself. This time he rolled his neck as he tugged and tugged on the black and white fur. The water was hot and and he didn’t bother covering up the little huffs that worked their way past his lips as he imagined something he’d supposedly grown sick of. Sex.

Rather than torment himself with the idea of something he could easily be getting, he turned off the shower and stepped out into the bathroom. He threw open the cabinet door above the sink and grabbed the bottle of lube Dean had tucked away months ago.

He popped the cap and was instantly assaulted with the smell of Grape. Disgusting. He dropped the bottle into the sink and shook his head, going back to the cabinet to look for another less nauseating version. Eventually he found a water based, no smell lube pushed back into the corner. This time he was careful to hold the bottle away from himself as he popped it open.

Castiel couldn’t possibly get any more pregnant. He felt good about that part of his Biology education. He hadn’t been turned on in a long time, and so when his dick started to stiffen between his legs he rolled with it. He poured the lube heavily over his fingers and threw the bottle into the sink beside the grape bottle. Then he closed the toilet lid with his free hand and propped his leg up onto it.

His tail moved automatically out of the way and hovered up close by his shoulder as he wove his arm around himself and pressed his fingers up against his ass. One finger at a time he slipped them into himself.

“Oh,” He said quietly. It hurt.

That wasn’t a good sign. He definitely wanted it, he just wasn’t sure he could trounce out there and mount Dean unless he’d done quite a bit of preparation first. Dean was a large man. Well, thicker than he was long but pressing the boundaries all the same.    

Castiel refused to give up. He breathed through it, holding his fingers inside of himself until he relaxed. Even then it was a difficult drag to move his fingers in and out. His body stayed taut with concentration as he pumped his hand and kept himself balanced.

He looked down the front of his body. His legs were shaking but his tummy was still and round. As if smacked by the reminder, Castiel began to tingle when he considered that he was pregnant and that Dean, a big, strong man had gotten him that way. His body heated up and he scissored his fingers, moving his body against their intrusion.

Dean. That was the catalyst to fucking his fingers in the bathroom and doing such a good job that by the time he considered himself ready, he stumbled out of the bathroom and was making no effort to shut up about it.

The door smacked off of the wall and Dean twitched awake.

“Dean,” Castiel purred. “Dean, wake up.”

“Yeah, I’m friggen awake,” Dean mumbled into his pillow. His eyes slipped closed before he could notice Castiel’s state of undress.

Castiel crawled up onto the mattress and moved right over to him. He tugged Dean’s boxers down quickly and straddled him.

“ _Caaaas_ ,” Dean groaned. “What the hell are you doing?”

Dean’s dick was waking up more quickly than Dean’s brain was waking up. As it slowly rose to attention, Castiel leaned down to press his forehead right up against his boyfriend’s. “Before we go to the doctor.”

Dean was quiet. He opened his eyes and squinted at Castiel through the dark.

“We’ve got a few hours,” Castiel argued.

“A few h- Cas, what time is it?”

Castiel answered quickly. Dean sounded legitimately terrified. “It’s almost six.”

“In the morning,” Dean said slowly. “God damnit. I don’t even have work today...”

Dean considered the time as Castiel quickly continued, “Do you want me?”

“Fuckin’ yes,” Dean growled.

“Even at six in the morning?” Castiel asked. “Because I want you.”

“Well shit. If that's the case...” Dean smiled.

Castiel leaned in to kiss Dean as softly as possible. The warmth of Dean’s lips remained steady as Castiel felt his world turn. Dean had him around the waist and was switching their positions and by the time they separated Castiel’s head was cradled by those wonderfully feather-filled pillows.

“Is this okay,” Dean asked, “‘cause I don’t wanna… you know, do anything…”

“It’s fine,” Castiel said. “Just go slow. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Dean shrugged. “Nothing, I guess.”

Castiel smiled and Dean leaned in to kiss him again.

“Yeah,” Castiel said. “It’s not like I can get pregnant again.”

Not that Castiel had any intention of testing his biological leeway, but that was one thing he had convinced himself was certain.

\- - -

Six rolled over into seven o’clock before the two of them slipped back into a sleep that the alarm at eight had a hard time pulling them out of and it wasn’t until ten o’clock that they arrived at Dr. Master’s office, freshly showered and completely bedraggled.

The visit was a few hours. Castiel was told his weight, the size of his stomach and the position of his baby. When he was provided with a few pictures of the child, he handed them off to Dean automatically. Dean stared at the pictures until they left the office and even then, he pocketed them.

Castiel didn’t ask for them back, but later that evening he found them in a picture frame that was propped up on the television. Unfortunately, he noticed them at the worst possible time and immediately cringed away from them.

Dean let up on the iron grip he’d had on Castiel’s hair and slowly pulled his dick out of his ass. Castiel’s face dropped to the pleather cushions of the couch and he groaned.

“Everything okay down there,” Dean huffed. He let go of Castiel’s hair altogether and put his hand down beside the other man’s head, leaning over and kissing the back of his neck. “Talk to me.”

“I’m sorry, I looked at the ultrasound and felt insanely creepy for noticing just now that you’d put it there. I’ll just… keep my head down here.”

Back to chest, only one of Castiel’s legs could fit on the couch. Dean was pressed up behind him, in between his legs, holding his tail out of the way so that it wouldn’t get crushed by Dean’s enthusiasm.

“Yeah, sure,” Dean laughed.

Castiel turned his head away from the ultrasound images as Dean lined himself back up and pushed in a second time.

Pregnant sex was worth the entire three months of initial nausea. As Dean shoved in harder and started to chant something erotic, Castiel clenched around him and panted into the couch cushions.

“God, it’s so good _,_ ” Castiel moaned. He didn't have to say anything, but Dean preferred to hear him saying something.

He managed to forget the ultrasound, but it came at the expense of also forgetting how to breathe. It wasn’t long before Castiel had his entire face pressed hard against the artificial leather of the couch, fingers clawed and indenting the material. He panted, “Dean, Dean,” until the man was bent over him and breathing at the base of his neck, licking and encouraging him to come.

Castiel did. All over the couch.

“God _damnit_ ,” He groaned through the aftershocks. His body bent up against Dean’s chest as the man grunted behind him. It wasn't long before he pushed in hard, nudging Castiel's knees up the couch and the top of his head into the arm of it, and came.

“Jesus christ,” Dean hissed.

“I got it all over the couch,” Castiel slurred. “We’re so stupid, why do we never put a towel down?”

Dean shook his head, “No friggen clue.”

He wrapped his hand around his dick as he pulled out, careful to try and catch any come following it out. Castiel stayed propped up as Dean moved away in search of something to wipe him up with. He dozed off as Dean came back with a warm towel that he swiped a few times over and around Castiel’s hole.

“Mmmm,” Castiel hummed as he dozed.

“Don’t go to sleep yet,” Dean laughed. “We gotta at least go upstairs.”

Castiel ignored him. As soon as Dean had spread him apart and gotten up underneath him to clean (as well as swiping off the cushion face), he tossed the rag aside and carefully maneuvered Castiel onto his side.

“You wanna sleep down here?” Dean asked.

Castiel nodded.

“Then where the hell am I gonna sleep?”

Castiel pressed himself tightly up into the cracks of the couch. Dean laughed.

“Nice try,” He said. “You really think we’re gonna fit on this couch?”

Castiel had already fallen back asleep. Dean carefully climbed back on the couch and arranged them so that Castiel wasn’t squashed between Dean and the back of it. He laid Castiel’s head on his shoulder and Castiel’s leg over his thighs so that the two of them we’re comfortably arranged into a compact, one person size.

The wet patch underneath Dean’s back dried long before he’d actually fallen asleep. From time to time, just as he was catching the tail end of a dream, his head tipped towards the television and he caught himself staring at the ultrasound for another hour.

\- - -

The weather changed at the same rate that Castiel’s stomach grew.

When he got to the last loop of his belt he opted for throwing them away instead of buying new ones. It didn’t do any good to hold onto them when they’d been stretched and resized. His pants didn’t even fit him anymore.

Dean returned from work and Castiel was sitting in the kitchen. The cold breeze was blowing through several open windows and the temperature of the house dropped again as the door remained open.

“Let’s go clothes shopping,” Dean said with his hand on the doorhandle.

“Now?” Castiel asked around a mouthful of cotton candy.

“What is that?” Dean asked.

After a minute, Castiel admitted sheepishly, “Cotton Candy…”

“Cotton Candy?” Dean huffed and walked over to him, palm faced out towards him and fingers flexing. “You’ve got a damn addiction.”

Castiel huffed but placed the cotton candy in Dean’s hand. “It’s not an addiction. It’s a craving, and Dr. Master’s said that it’s alright to eat Cotton Candy-”

“In moderation.” Dean clarified. “Breakfast, lunch, dinner and the twenty snacks in between isn’t moderation. Now get up, we’ve gotta get you a fall jacket.”

“I have a fall jacket.”

“Okay,” Dean said. “Maybe one that covers you and the shrimp.”

“Don’t call the baby a shrimp,” Castiel sighed. He dragged himself off of the stool he’d been sitting on and Dean reached out to help him.

“And don’t sit on these stools anymore. You might slip and fall off…”

“Dean, stop looming over me and my decisions!” Castiel snipped. “It’s like I have to wait for you to go to work before I eat anything,”

“Anything meaning Cotton Candy and Barbeque Sauce,” Dean slipped in.

“and I can’t even sit on stools now because you’re afraid I’m going to lose my balance… which I won’t! Also, we can’t get a cat!”

“We're gonna bring that up again? And Dr. Master’s said no!”

“She didn’t say no, Dean! You just don’t like them.”

Dean licked his teeth in agitation. “Can we just go get the coat, Cas? We gotta keep you from catching a cold. Right now is not the time to argue over how many pounds of cotton candy you’ve gotten away with eatin’ this last month.”

“And I daresay it’s not that many.”

Castiel shivered and stepped around Dean, heading for the door. “Hold on a second, wait!” Dean yelped. “Come on, Cas, you’re not gonna put a coat on?”

“I don’t have one that protects me and the shrimp,” Castiel deadpanned as he turned around to shoot Dean a look. “I want my cotton candy back. I’ll wait in the car, you can bring it, and the bag in the cupboard, with you.”

“Do you not wanna go coat shopping? Is that what I’m hearing right now?”

Castiel’s temper had been getting shorter and shorter as of late. Without meaning to, he scowled at Dean and said, “No. I don’t want to get the coat right now. Right now I want you to stop being a vulture and I want you to stop telling me what to do with my body! I’m pregnant but I’m not an invalid!”

Dean stood a step away from the stool, arms folded over his chest. The cotton candy was melting in his hand but he seemed unconcerned. The moment of silence culminated in Dean saying, “Sam’s coming over tomorrow,” to which Castiel immediately snapped, “For what, Dean?”

“You know I’m going out of town this weekend, I don’t want you here by yourself.”

“Really,” Castiel said.

The door remained open and Castiel fought to keep from shivering. It wouldn’t be dignified to throw a fit about being able to take care of his own health when he couldn’t even keep himself warm. His tail moved agitatedly behind him and the hair began to raise. The fur there was more telling than goosebumps and the motion didn’t go unnoticed by Dean.

“Fuck it, I’ll go get the coat. Can you close the windows?”

“I’m not cold.”

“Okay,” Dean said, “Then I’m friggen cold, Cas. Close the windows, it’s like negative ten million friggen degrees in here.”

Castiel understood that he was being a little shit, but he couldn’t help it. In his stomach, he felt the flutters of an active baby. Even though he was only nineteen weeks along, it wasn’t like he’d gotten much of a break from the horrible eating habits to the stir craziness stemming from an overprotective boyfriend. As if he’d been waiting weeks for the opportunity to turn on the water works, Castiel covered his eyes and started to cry.

“Cas?” Dean deflated immediately. He closed the space between them with his arms wide open. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry. I’ll go get the coat. You want Cotton Candy? Cheese? Barbeque Sauce?”

Dean was just a strong man who happened to restrict his Cotton Candy intake. There was no need to cry. Regardless, Castiel wrapped his arms back around Dean’s body and started to sob against his shoulder. Inside of him, the baby shifted.

It was a while until Castiel exhausted himself. By exhausting himself, really he became so tired that he almost fell asleep standing up with his head cradled in the juncture between Dean’s shoulder and neck.

“We’ll get the coat later, okay?” Dean said. “Let’s go upstairs and sleep.”

Castiel didn’t respond. He tightened his grip around Dean’s body and allowed himself to be shepherded up the stairs and into the bedroom. He’d barely hit the mattress before he was worlds away. By the time he came to, the sun had set and the blue of the night sky was crawling over. Dean was spooning him from behind and the warm puffs of his breathing were bouncing off the back of Castiel’s neck.

Again the baby burped and Castiel took a hold of Dean’s hand that was resting peacefully on his abdomen. It wasn’t a strange concept to imagine that somehow, for some stupidly practical reason, Dean had managed to knock Castiel up. Castiel couldn’t cope with the idea of another human getting bigger in his belly, but he didn’t have to, really. He didn’t have to focus on what the baby might look like if he spent his time admitting that he’d been needing more sex, and more food, and more clothes.

Pregnancy wasn’t the worst thing to happen to him.

Being pregnant with Dean certainly wasn’t the worst thing to happen to him.

Castiel was actually grateful that of all people he could’ve been stuck with, Dean was the person he got. Carefully, Castiel turned in Dean’s arms so that they were face to face. He pressed their foreheads together and waited for Dean to wake up.

“Good morning,” Dean croaked eventually. “Look who I got in front of me."

“Who do you have in front of you?”

“The sexiest man alive,” Dean said happily. His eyes were opening and closing so slowly that he might’ve been taking naps between blinks. “I’m sorry for making you cry earlier.”

“You didn’t make me cry,” Castiel corrected. “My hormones made me cry.”

“Yeah well, I was still an ass.” Dean said slowly. He leaned in to kiss Castiel and the two stayed against one another with their lips connected until Castiel was breathing from his nose. Dean wrapped one arm around Castiel’s waist and pulled him closer.

“Not to be intruding but, uh, I’ve been waiting down here a few hours and I feel like it’s time to wake up.”

Castiel gasped into Dean’s mouth and moved back so quickly he sprained his neck. “Ouch!”

“Are you okay?” Sam asked nervously from the doorway.

“Sam,” Castiel said. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh, I’m spending the night here.”

“Why?” Castiel asked.

Sam shrugged but Castiel could see his cheeks going red.

“What the fuck happened, Sam?” Dean asked as he rolled over to look at his little brother in the doorway. “Everything cool?”

“Cool enough,” Sam said. “I just need a place to stay for a day.”

Dean didn’t press the subject. “Well make yourself at home. Cas and me gotta get a jacket for him. We’ll be out for a bit.”

“Do your thing,” Sam said, hands in the air. “I’m just gonna go watch some T.V.”

Castiel watched Sam leave before he shot Dean a look. Dean shrugged and mouthed the word “car” before the two of them got up and dressed for the shopping trip.

As soon as they were covered by the security of the Impala, Castiel turned to Dean and said, “What’s going on with Sam?”

“I don’t know. He wasn’t supposed to come until tomorrow. I'm guessing it's something to do with that girl he's seeing on campus... Jessie or something.”

Castiel bit his lip and straightened back out in his seat. He put his seatbelt on and turned down the radio as Dean started up the car. Sam was an open book and it was slightly concerning that Castiel could tell he was going through the wringer, but couldn’t do anything about it. Instead he adjusted the belt to fit his bump and then rested his hand on his stomach as he thought about how he’d ask Sam later what was going on.

“I love when you do that,” Dean said.

“Huh?” Castiel said. He looked at Dean’s line of vision and followed it to his hand. “When I touch my stomach?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Castiel turned his head and smiled at the passing cars as the two waited for the opportunity to leave the driveway. Dean had one hand on the steering wheel and the other was inching its way towards Castiel’s free hand. Castiel bit the bullet and reached out, taking Dean’s hand in his own.

Castiel didn’t know much more about Dean than month’s worth of relationship could provide, but he understood a few important things that he was proud to have noticed. One of those was Dean’s affinity to hold hands in the car. He loved to do it or was otherwise inclined to make sure that he had one hand on Castiel in one way or another. The contact was probably relaxing and so Castiel allowed it. Sometimes Dean’s fingers would find their way to his hair and they’d massage it as the drive went on. Sometimes Dean’s hand would rest on his thigh and stroke the denim covered skin of his leg. Sometimes Castiel would leave his palm skyward and Dean would take hold of it happily.

By the time they made it to the store, it was a bit of a reconnect. They only had to let go of each other as they climbed out of the impala and locked her up. On the walk to the entrance, their palms kissed again and they entered the hectic atmosphere of evening shopping.

“Alright, if we don’t leave here with a coat, shoot me.”

“Dean,” Castiel hissed. “Don’t say that.”

“Alright. If we don’t leave here with a coat, kiss me.”

“That’s better,” Castiel said.

Dean dragged Castiel through the aisles straight to the jackets. The two of them searched for one that would be large enough to sustain under Castiel’s changing body. Dean sifted through leather jacket after leather jacket and eventually Castiel began to pry them from his finger and hide them under the granny jackets to keep them from resurfacing.

They settled on a maternity coat (from a completely different section of the store) that was too expensive and far too grey.

“Maybe we should get you a black one,” Dean said as he plopped the coat onto the belt. The cashier smiled at them. She watched Castiel as he passed the register and went to wait at one of the benches. His feet were killing him.

Dean was midway through paying when Castiel saw the cashier smile at him. It wasn’t a smile as in “hello, how are you doing today, I’m being courteous,” it was a “Hello, if you ever break up with your boyfriend over there, I’d be more than happy to suck your dick and bring you back from the boughs of depression - take my number” smile. Castiel frowned and watched as she took Dean’s card. She giggled and ran it through the machine, the one facing Dean, the one Dean could have used himself, and then she handed it back to him. Her hand had taken up most of the card and Dean’s fingers inevitably closed around hers as he snagged it back.

In a way Castiel felt bad for her. Dean payed her none of the attention she’d been looking for. Instead, he took the card, the receipt and the bag and left without looking back. Castiel followed him closely.

As Sam was at home, the second they got into the house Dean was careful to keep them from noisily making out against the counter. He dropped the bag and kicked the door closed with his foot before crowding Castiel right up against the granite countertop.

“You’re not mad at me, right?”

“Mad at you?” Castiel asked.

“Yeah, I thought you saw that girl. I thought for sure you were gonna get upset.”

“Not at you!” Castiel hissed right up against his lips. Dean kissed him quickly.

“Okay, good.”

Castiel nodded and looked from Dean’s lips to his eyes. “Are you going to kiss me again?”

“Yeah, for a minute,” Dean said before he leaned in excitedly and took Castiel’s bottom lip between his teeth. 

It was a dangerous thing to do. Sam hated to catch them with any body parts touching. It was inevitable, of course, but he’d often make enough noise about it to make Castiel blush and feel bad for the PDA.

Dean bent him backwards over the counter, but kept Castiel’s neck cradled in his hand as he held them together and licked into Castiel’s mouth.

“Mbf- ean,” Castiel said into his mouth, “Dean, let go. Sam’s in the living room and I can feel your… you’re gonna…”

“Just let me…” Dean begged. He held on to Castiel closely as he started to move against him and Castiel gasped in shock and partial excitement. Maybe Sam wasn’t awake. Maybe he’d taken a nap and was half off of the couch, snoring into the otherwise silent room. Then again, the whirring of the television told Castiel that it was still on, so maybe not.

Castiel focused on keeping quiet. A heavy petting session never warranted a death sentence, but if he managed to see Sam appear over Dean’s shoulder he’d never be able to live with it. Dean, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem with dry humping his pregnant boyfriend in the kitchen.

“God, Cas, I’ve actually been thinking about this since earlier,” Dean sighed as his hands wove around Castiel’s hips and clawed his ass. He pulled them even more tightly together with Castiel’s stomach trapped securely between them.

“Yeah?” Castiel asked.

“Yeah,” Dean said. He moved himself so that his dick was lined up with Castiel’s thigh and then he ground himself against it with a ferocity that Castiel was proud of.

“Shhh, shhh,” Castiel whispered when Dean’s heavy breathing started to come out more vocal. “Sam is here,”

“Shit,” Dean said as if he’d forgotten. To be honest, he might have. He didn’t stop but he certainly quieted himself. Castiel rubbed Dean’s back as he got himself off against Castiel’s leg. If Sam was awake he was certainly aware of what was going on in the kitchen. It was with every fiber of Castiel’s being that he hoped Sam wouldn’t come in to break it off. That he’d just play asleep and not mention it the next day. It's not like the living room and the kitchen were directly visible to one another. Sam was well around the corner.

Before Castiel could process what was happening, Dean went stiff and panted loudly out into the silence of the kitchen. Castiel grabbed the sides of his face and kissed the remaining noises from his mouth as he came in his pants and held onto the counter behind Castiel for support.

“Well that was quick,” Castiel commented humorously.

“Cut me some slack, I been waiting all day," Dean reminded him.

“Of course,” Castiel teased.

Dean smiled at Castiel before backing away and grabbing the bag. As he made his way to the stairs, he took Castiel’s hand and tugged him along. Like two naughty teenagers the two of them made their way up to the bathroom to clean up, coat in tow.

\- - -

Dean’s business trips more frequently called him out of the house on the weekends. Those days, Castiel sat on Dean’s laptop and played silly games that no self-respecting adult would ever admit to playing. He never felt like cooking for himself so he ordered quasi-healthy food from local restaurants. He treated himself to a lot of chocolate and strawberries, and as his unhealthy cotton candy addiction simmered down, his need for coco puffs slowly took it’s place.

At twenty eight weeks, Castiel was beginning to feel less like a human and more like a balloon.

It was easy to laugh at himself if he imagined himself being filled up day by day with hot air.

The baby was large, Dr. Masters had told them that. To Dean’s delight, they’d also found out that, like it’s father Castiel, the baby was a Felid. Only Dean seemed to stomp his feet happily and say, “Hell yeah” Dr. Masters explained that after the surgery, the baby would need more post-op care than a regular human child, as the added appendage could be more susceptible to complications.

“It can wrap up in the umbilical cord,” Dr. Masters explained. “It can also get cramped and cause stress to both you and the child. There are only a few things that can go wrong but we want to make sure that you’re both okay.”

When all else seemed to be a waiting game, Dean had fun playing. The baby kicked often and since Dean and Castiel had refused to know the sex of the baby ahead of time, they spent a lot of time together going over names and making bets on what it would come out as.

Castiel’s back hurt more often and he found himself waiting out activities at home. Work functions for Dean were common but Castiel actually having the energy to go was rare. Instead he sat home with a hot water bottle on his groin, warming the underside of his stomach.

At the same time, Castiel learned to cope with the bullshit that was stretch marks. Only once did Dean have to remind him that they didn’t make him ugly.

Castiel had stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in a towel that barely fit. Dean wasn’t supposed to be home so when Castiel frustratingly tried to pull it tighter around himself, he eventually threw it across the bathroom and went to look for clothes without it.

He almost shit himself when he saw Dean sitting on the bed.

“Dean!” He screamed, going right back into the bathroom and closing the door.

“Cas!” Dean mimicked.

“What are you doing home so soon?”

“Waiting for you to come out of the bathroom.”

Castiel huffed and said, “Can you hand me some pajama pants?”

“Can you come out here and get ‘em?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

The sounds of shifting sheets and the comforter falling from the bed was the only warning Castiel had before the bathroom door was tugged open and Dean was walking through. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Castiel said in embarrassment as he reached behind him for the towel.

“Something…” Dean said. He reached out to stop him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just want to wear the towel but it won’t fit.”

“Okay, but it’s hot as hell in here. Just go grab your clothes.”

“I don’t want to,” Castiel said quietly.

“I gathered as much.” When it was clear that Castiel wasn’t willing to elaborate, Dean took his hands and asked, “What’s going on with you? Running back in the bathroom like I haven’t seen you naked a million times.”

Castiel shifted on his feet and looked down at his own extended belly. The stretch marks were all over, red and angry and snaking up his skin in a completely unattractive pattern. As if reading his thoughts, Dean smiled and said, “I think I know what’s goin’ on here.”

“Nothing’s going on here,” Castiel said harshly as he tugged his hands back and reached for his towel a second time.

“Don’t,” Dean begged. “Just, come here a sec.”

“I am here,” Castiel said shortly.

“No, come _here_ ,” Dean said as he tugged him in front of the bathroom mirror. Castiel blushed but allowed himself to be pulled. He looked at Dean through the reflective face of the mirror.

“What?” Castiel asked.

“Look at yourself, Cas.”

Castiel huffed but looked down at the reflection of his stomach just as Dean was wrapping his arms around him and laying his hands over it. “You’re beautiful.”

“I’m fat.”

“No,” Dean said. “You’re not. You’re pregnant.”

“I’m a fat pregnant person.”

“Can you just shut up?” Dean laughed. “These,” He said as his finger followed the path of a particularly red stretch mark. “are beautiful. I don’t know what’s got you worried,”

“Uhm…”

“Come on, Cas. I’m serious. Do we have to do this every day of the week? I will. And if you’d just let me show you how much I love you,”

“Okay, Dean. You said that last time and now look at where we are…”

“you wouldn’t have to worry about… hey, I didn’t friggen say that last time.”

Castiel looked over his shoulder and laughed when Dean kissed his cheek. “I promise, Cas, you look stunning. I fucking love the way you look right now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Castiel, from that moment on, irresponsibly ventured around the house quite naked, quite often.

A surprise visit from an old college friend alerted him to as much. Expecting it to be Dean at the door, he yanked it open to a very familiar red headed female and quickly attempted to hide himself from her completely unimpressed look.

“Well, that answers alot,” Charlie said.

Miss Charlie, a young girl who Castiel owed more than he could remember. Charlie had covered him and written his papers in multiple situations. Had he not dropped out of college, Castiel might have owed her his degree.

“Ch- oh, god.”

“Dude, let me in,” She said as she nudged her way into the kitchen.

“I’m so sorry,” Castiel said as he ran off to grab some clothes from his bedroom. By the time he returned, Charlie had helped herself to a bowl of coco puffs. “So when’s it due?” She asked.

“Uhm… I’m about twenty nine weeks.”

“So you’re about…. seven months? You’ve got something like three left.”

“Yeah,” Castiel confirmed. He was sloppily covered in pajama pants that were too large and the drawstring was the only thing holding them up. Dean loved the pants. He could easily tug on the string and get them to drop.

“Interesting,” Charlie said wickedly. “I’ll be keeping an eye out. Might mark it off on my calendar.”

“Why?”

“No reason.”

Castiel cocked his head and squinted at her as she walked to the table for a second helping of cereal. Castiel watched a little sadly as she refilled her bowl.

“You wanna go out with me this weekend?”

“Maybe,” Castiel said. “I’ve been having a lot of back pain.”

“Okay, and is all of the sex with Dean helping or making it worse?”

“That’s….” Castiel started. “Who are you speaking to?”

“Sam.”

“Oh.”

As it turns out, Sam had been more than awake in the living room the day that they had gone coat shopping, and he was having a hard time trusting Castiel’s invitations to come over and stay the night.

“I apologized,” Castiel groaned. He went to sit on a stool but thought better of it as he was finding it difficult to tug himself up onto it.

“We can go sit in the living room,” Charlie suggested

Castiel spent the rest of the afternoon like that, half dressed inappropriately in Charlie’s company. The baby kicked for her when she asked to discuss future plans of world domination with it (to Castiel’s concern), and then it kicked Castiel so hard that he burped.

“That was so cool!” Charlie screamed.

“No,” Castiel said, bending forward and holding his back. “This baby is going to break my ribs, it’s too active.”

“Really?”

Castiel leaned back against the couch and waited for the baby to calm down. It was like a cat. It had hours where it was so jovial and hyperactive that it hurt Castiel to deal with it. Other times the babies feet were a soft pumping pressure against his insides.

“Especially when Dean comes home.”

“That’s so cool,” Charlie said. “Wish I could have kids but I don’t like them half of the time. I’m glad you’re providing me with some offspring to play with.”

Castiel laughed. “Yeah, you’re actually not the first person to say that. Looks like I might not get to see this baby too much, after all.”

“Yeah, she’s gonna get a lot of attention.”

“You think it’s a girl?” Castiel asked. His neck was supported by the back of the couch and his head was tilted to the side as he closed his eyes.

“Yeah,” Charlie said. Castiel could feel her chilly hands as she reached out and laid them on his stomach. “Just feels like a girl.”

“Mmmm. Dean hopes so.”

Charlie sat in a comfortable silence beside Castiel with her hand on his stomach. “Do you ever talk to her?”

Castiel mulled over the question before he answered honestly, “All the time, recently. It keeps me company.”

\- - -

Castiel went into labor six weeks after Charlie’s visit, only thirty five weeks in. The weather had gone cold and the roads weren’t the safest. It was December and Castiel had been hanging up Christmas decorations with Sam.

First there was an aching in his back. It was an irritating burn that slowly radiated down to his feet.

It took half an hour before the pain was too distracting.

“Sam, help me,” Castiel said as he backed away from a snowman he’d been hanging on the Christmas tree. Sam immediately dropped his tinsel and ran to steady Castiel just as his legs took the brunt of the shooting pains that were traveling through his body.

“Cas? What’s goin’ on?”

“Baby,” Castiel said. “I think it’s coming,”

“Really?” Sam asked.

“It's just a guess but,” Castiel said as a sharp pain sprung from the middle of his back. “A-ah, even if it's not coming, something is happening.”

“Okay, okay, uhm…” Sam was sweating before Castiel had gotten a chance to heat up. “Shit! Shit, okay, I’m gonna call Dean and then I’m gonna take you to the hospital.”

“That sounds good.”

Sam let Castiel go and ran for a phone while Castiel focused on staying upright. The pain was more irritating with occasional bursts of unbearable than a steady stream of stabbing. Fortunately, ten minutes passed with Sam running from room to room, grabbing coats and bags and balancing the phone between his shoulder and his cheek.

“Are you okay?” Sam kept calling.

“I’m alright,” Castiel called back.

“Dean’s coming back right now. The car’s got new wheels so it’s safer. Are we gonna make it?”

Castiel had just broken a sweat. He crawled over to the couch and propped himself up against it. “We’re gonna make it Sam. Where is the baby going to come out from otherwise?”

Sam had gathered all of their things. He’d packed a bag for Dean and Castiel full of things they probably wouldn’t need. He set them all by the door and stacked them neatly, tapping his hand against his thigh and the he paced the length of the room until the Impala’s headlights shone through the window.

“Dean!” Sam yelled happily.

“Dean,” Castiel said tiredly.

The sound of keys in the door was closely followed by a terrified Dean Winchester running around the corner and headbutting his brother. The two stumbled back and Dean growled before screaming, “God Damnit!”

“Shit, Dean, slow down!”

“You friggen slow down,” Dean said. “Cas, you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Dean rubbed his head another few times before sitting down on the couch and covering his face, “God damn that hurts.”

“Are you okay?” Castiel grunted. He turned as much as he could and placed his hand on Dean’s thigh, rubbing.

“I should be the one asking that,” Dean said. “Damnit, Cas, we gotta get you to the hospital.”

“I’m following you," Castiel said. "Lead the way, chief."

Dean stood up and reached out to take Castiel’s hand. Castiel stood up slowly with the majority of his weight traveling through Dean’s arm and stance. When he was on his feet, Dean wrapped one arm around his waist and led him through to the kitchen where Sam had prepared his coat.

“Let’s get this on you.”

“This stupid coat,” Castiel laughed. “That made Sam mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at Dean.”

Dean’s smile was lit up by the lights shining through the kitchen window from a still running car. Castiel slipped his arms through the coat and allowed Dean to take hold of him again and lead him out of the house. The Impala was warm and covered in quickly melting snowflakes. Castiel climbed in carefully and tried to make himself comfortable.

“How you holding up?” Dean asked as he climbed into the driver’s side.

“I’m a little scared. I was never a fan of needles.”

Dean smiled and leaned over to kiss the worry lines off of Castiel’s face. “I love you, Cas.”

Castiel didn’t question why he’d never said that, too. Why Dean resorted to saying it now and if it meant more or less because of the circumstances. Instead he said, “I love you too, Dean.”

“Alright,” Dean said as Sam hopped into the car. “Let’s roll.”

The hospital was fairly empty. Castiel was helped into the hospital by the staff waiting at the door with a wheelchair. Dean climbed out of the driver’s seat and Sam quickly took over the position.

There was a lot of legal jargon that needed to be said, a lot of waivers and consent forms that needed to be signed. Castiel spent hours in the maternity ward trying to fight off the extra aggressive contractions, and it wasn’t until three hours from the beginning of the ordeal that he was even wheeled into surgery.

Dean was with him up until the doctor called him aside.

“Dean Winchester?” The surgeon said as Castiel was wheeled through the double doors without him.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s me.”

“Alright, come with me. We’re gonna get you scrubbed down and suited up for the surgery.”

Castiel's anxiety had heightened from the time he’d been wheeled out of his room. With Dean being dragged off to the what Castiel considered the scrubbing room, he was going through the fear of having a permanently paralyzed lower half by himself. Castiel begged himself to relax and it wasn't until Dean's (neatly covered) head peeked into the room. 

“Hey, Cas, how’re you doin?” Dean asked as he was wheeled a seat. He put it beside Castiel's head and settled in.

Castiel’s upper half was shielded from the surgery by a blue sheet. His eyes squinted as he tried to find an appropriate response. “I can’t feel the bottom half of my body.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good thing,” Dean said. His voice was slightly muffled by the surgical mask, but his gloved hand was on the side of Castiel’s face. “We’re gonna have a baby soon.”

“I know,” Castiel said. He could feel the tears slipping from the corners of his eyes, but he kept his face neutral. No point in being scared. There was only one possible way this baby was coming out. Dean wiped the tears away and leaned down to give an incomplete kiss to the top of his head.

“You’re gonna be okay.”

Castiel nodded and turned his head to the side.

“I know.”

Castiel and Dean watched each other for minutes before Castiel asked quietly, “What are they doing?”

Dean rolled back in his seat to chance a look around the sheet. His eyes trained immediately to the scalpel and the skin that the doctor had already gotten through. Dean shook his head and rolled right back to Castiel’s side, “We are not talkin’ about that until this baby is out.”

“Okay.”

Dean watched Castiel’s face with rapt attention as time ticked on. He ran his fingers through Castiel’s hair and didn’t ask questions even when Castiel grunted or looked slightly uncomfortable.

“Okay, Castiel, you’re gonna feel a lot of pressure.”

“Oh, shit,” Dean said.

“God,” Castiel whispered.

Castiel reached out for Dean’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

Dean rolled back just a little to peek around the sheet again. Legs. Arms. Tiny tail. Purple body. No head yet. Cool.

“Jeeeesus,” Dean said.

“What?” Castiel said.

“Almost here,” Dean smiled. He’d seen more than he’d tell Castiel, but he was more than happy to see a lack of male genitals on the baby.

“Are you going to be cutting the cord?” A nurse called from over the sheet.

“I don’t know if I can handle that,” Dean answered immediately.

The moment of freedom for the baby was evident in the gasping and sputtering from the tiny lungs on the other side of the sheet. “Mr. Winchester, would you like to come and see your daughter?”

Castiel looked over at Dean wide eyed. “Go,” He said.

Dean slowly got up out of the chair and walked to where the baby was throwing a fit. As he walked around the surgical site, he went white at the amount of blood, but determinedly went to the little basin holding his baby.

The baby was wailing something awful, it’s little legs and arms kicking and punching the air as it's tail adopted the "castiel neutral" of being completely stiff with anger. Dean smiled down at her and said, “Welcome,” before the doctor was taking her weight and vitals, and swaddling her in a duck blanket.

“Support the neck,” The nurse reminded Dean before she handed the baby to him. “And keep both arms firmly around the child at all times. I think Mr. Milton is ready to see his baby.”

Dean walked slower than he’d ever walked. With the baby wrapped securely in his arms he made his way back to Castiel’s side of the sheet. The baby was still crying but had simmered down tremendously.

“Cas, say hello to our new baby girl.”

Castiel cooed almost immediately. As if it were in his nature to coddle his baby, he relaxed when Dean had them close together. Castiel kissed her face and then ran his eyes over every feature she had. Dean decided not to mention the fresh set of tears falling from his eyes.

“She’s so wrinkled,” Castiel said.

Dean laughed. “Nine months in a water sac? I’m thinking it’s justified.”

Castiel spent minutes with his baby as the doctor’s bustled around the room. Dean shared the moment with them, too, looking from Castiel to the little girl and then kissing them both.

\- - -

Castiel had been out like a light for damn near two days. The baby was wheeled back and forth between the NICU and the hospital room. The baby wasn’t too premature, but there were precautionary measures. When everything checked out, Castiel was coming back from a stupor stemming from extreme emotional and physical fatigue.

Dean was there with Sam and baby.

“Where is she?”

Dean, naturally, had her pressed against his chest. Sam was sleeping in a guest chair off in the corner of the room. “Nola, meet your mother. She's been sleeping for two days,” Dean joked.

“I’m not the mother,” Castiel argued weakly. He sat himself up as she was placed into his arms and he looked at her again. His face lit up with a stupid smile that he didn’t try to hide. “Nola. I’m probably never going to put you down, now.” His body felt like it'd been run over by a semi. Twice. 

Dean stretched and yawned, almost tipping over as he finished it out. “God, I’m tired.”

“You can go to sleep,” Castiel said. “I’ll be here.”

“Naw, I wanna spend time with you.”

Castiel looked up from the baby and smirked. “Dean, I think at this point we’ve got all the time in the world.”

\- - -

Hopefully someone enjoyed it enough! Otherwise it would've sat in that god awful folder of fanfictions I'm going to do nothing with. :(

 


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